A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an immediate anxiety response.
Most specific phobias fall into one of four major categories:
- Fears of the natural environment
- Fears related to animals
- Fear related to medical treatments or issues
- Fears related to specific situations
Phobia of the Day: Ephebiphobia is the fear of teenagers
Phobia of the Day: Koinoniphobia is fear of rooms full of people
People often fear things that feel dangerous or uncomfortable. Great heights and flying give many people anxiety. But these thoughts don’t usually disrupt their daily lives. Koinoniphobia can also make you feel sick with physical symptoms that include:
- Crying.
- Dizziness.
- Muscle tension.
- Nausea.
- Racing heartbeat (palpitations).
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea).
- Upset stomach
SELF-CARE TIPS FOR PHOBIAS THAT BRING ON ANXIETY
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Learn to manage panic and anxiety.
- Look into joining a support group.
- Use self-help resources.
- Take a course for your specific phobia.
RECENT PHOBIA WORD POSTS:
Globophobia
Chrometophobia
Anemophobia
Amaxophobia
Zuigerphobia
Do you have a phobia you suffer from that you’d like to share?
If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211 and we’ll publish the ones that we feel are most interesting!
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